A total of 8 953 foreigners applied for visas to enter Botswana between January 2013 and December 2014, the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu has said.

Mr Batshu said reasons given for application of visa included but not limited to visiting, business, employment, tourism, studies, transit and workshops.

The minister said in 2013, his ministry received 4 882 applicants for visa out of which 3869 were approved and 1013 rejected. He said in 2014, they received 4071 applications and 2524 were approved and 1547 rejected showing a decrease of approvals from 80 per cent in 2013 to 62 per cent in 2014.

Minister Batshu said visitors from the United States of America do not require visa to enter Botswana, adding that the 2013 review of a list of countries that do not require visa to visit Botswana resulted in Angola, South Sudan, Saudi Arabia amongst others being listed as countries whose nationals do not require Visa to enter Botswana.

The list, he said comprises 181 countries and out of these, nationals of 84 countries require visa to enter Botswana while 97 nationals do not. Mr Batshu said exempting some foreigners depend on a number of factors such as bilateral relations, economic, political and security.

The minister was responding to a question from the MP for Selebi Phikwe West, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse who had wanted the minister to state the number of citizens who applied for visa to enter Botswana from January to December 2014.

MP Keorapetse also wanted the minister to state the reasons for visa applications and how many were granted and denied.

He also wanted to know if the number of visa applicants was increasing or decreasing and whether the rate of denials was also increasing or decreasing.